Resilient shaft journal and bearing therefor



June 11, 1 935.

' L. 6. MOFFITT RESILIENT SHAFT JOURNAL AND BEARING THEREFOR Filed March 6,- 1934 j L jflff f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RESILIENT SHAFT JOURNAL BEARING THEREFOR Lucian .Q. Mofl'itt, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application March 6,1934, Serial No. 714,236

14 Claims. (Cl. 308-238) This invention relates to resilient rubberbearbearings such as that designated by the numer ings of the water lubricated type and especially al N. to resilient shaft journals 'and rigid bearings The journal member comprises a smooth surtherefor. faced resilient soft rubber sleeve I2 which may 5 It has been found, where rotating shafts must be vulcanized, or otherwise fastened, to the 5 be supported under water as in hydraulic turshaft. A convenient construction, which'perbines, deep well pumps, and the propeller shaft mits the manufacture of the journal before its bearings of ships, that superior results are obapplication to the shaft, is made possible by tained by the use of resilient rubber for one of vulcanizing the rubber to a supporting metal the bearing surfaces and non-corrodible metal sleeve l3, which may be slipped over the shaft 10 for the other surface. In the construction of and held in place by a key M, or in any other such bearings it has been customary to provide suitable manner.

a metallic bearing surface having an uninter- In order to provide ample flow of water or rupted face and to form the rubber surface with other lubricant over the journal, and to facilia face interrupted y lubricant o s. tate early removal of embedded foreign parti- 15 While it is known that such a combination of cles, the rigid bearing is formed to provide bearing surfaces, when so constructed as to prospaced arcuate bearing lands I 5 with longitudivide proper water lubrication, excels other bear- 1 grooves l6 th rebetweem The grooves 'are s in s a e to W a scor d Wear of preferably, but not necessarily, formed of such the m a c bearing a e a i a y Occurs cross-section as to provide an acute threshold 20 b ca se o e embedding o P s Of hard angle at the margins of the arcuate lands to ine a a i t e ub e bearing crease the capillary force and to induce wiping While it as been p p d in some cases to of the fluid over the bearing surfaces. use rubber as the journal and metal as the bear- I th form illustrated in Fig. 4, the rotati s therefor. such suggestions have always able member is a rigid metallic shaft I! having 25 templated the use of a continuous metal bearing t bearing surface interrupted by 31 surface. nally disposed lubricant grooves H3. The rigid The principal objects of this invention are to shaft I1 is journaled in a smooth face uninteravoid scoring of the metal surface, to provide inrupted rubber bearing IS. The bearing l9 may creased resistance to wear of the bearing, to fabe attached directly to its supporting member 30 cilitate dislodgment of foreign material from the 20 but it is preferred to vulcanize the rubber to rubber surface, and generally to provide economy a removable rigid sleeve 2| which may be held and efliciency of operation. in place by a'key 22 or other fastening device Other objects will appear from the following for ready replacement. description and the accompanying drawing. In any of the forms which the invention may 35 Of the drawing: assume, the rigid bearing surface, whether it be Fig. 1 is a view showing a preferred form of t rotatable or t a ar m mb r, has an the invention as installed in a well-pump of the interrupted surface Whereas the esi ient surface rotary type the well being Shown in Section and 15 preferably continuous. Should a particle of 40 the enclosing parts of the pump structure being forelgn e? enter between the earing sur- 40 brokn away to Show the bearing faces, the res lient surface will become depressed,

Fig 2 is a cross section of the journal h ft by deformation of the rubber,.where it contacts and bearing taken on line of Fig. 1, drawn with the part1cle, causing the resilient material to an enlarged Sca1e diacent the particle to. be placed under ten- 45 Fig. 3 is a side view of the bearing and journal, Slon' when E tenslfmed portlon is so uncov' 1 also drawn to a'larger scale, and partly broken by relatlye mtatmn 9 the t that the I away and in section to show its construction. FenSmne-d .portlon ahgns lubncant groove Fig. 4 is a View Smmar toFig 2 but showing a 1n the r1g1d surface, the resilient surface recovmodified form of the device Its n n l shap y release of tension, and 60 Referring to the drawing: the particle is thrown into the lubricant stream 4 andi ash f In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, I g ed mm the bearing the numeral l0 designates a rotatable shaft 1. The combination of a shaft member and a which, in t example chosen for illustratwn 1n bearing member therefor, one of said members 65 Fi 1 t0 3, is m n d vert y to rotate in having a rigid bearing surface interrupted by lubricant grooves formed therein, and the other member having a soft-rubber surface for co-' operating therewith, the grooved rigid surface and the soft-rubber surface being constrained to "rubber surface for cooperating therewith, the

grooved rigid surface and the soft-rubber surface being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

3. The combination of a shaft member and a bearing member therefor, one of said members having a rigid bearing surface interrupted by lubricant grooves formed therein, and the other member being provided with a removable rigid sleeve, said sleeve having a soft-rubber bearing surface for cooperating with the rigid bearing surface, and the grooved rigid surface and the soft-rubber surface being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

4. The combination of a shaft member and. a bearing member therefor, one of said members having a rigid bearing surface interrupted by lubricant grooves, and the other member having a soft-rubber surface for cooperation therewith, the surfaces defining said grooves being formed to meet the soft-rubber surface at an acute angle, and the grooved rigid surface and the soft-rubber surface being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

5. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, the journal portion of the shaft being of soft-rubber composition having a smooth unbroken bearing face, and the bearing being formed of rigid material and comprising arcuate bearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

6. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, said shaft being provided with a removable journal having a soft-rubber bearing face, and the bearing being formed of rigid material and comprising arcuate bearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

'7. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, the journal portion of the shaft being of soft-rubber composition having a smooth bearing face, and the bearing being formed of rigid material and comprising arcuate bearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, the surfaces defining the grooves meeting the journal surface at an acute angle, and the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

8. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, said shaft being provided with a removable journal comprising a metallic sleeve and vulcanized thereto a smooth-surfaced layer of soft-rubber, and said bearing being formed of rigid material formed to provide a plurality of arcuate bearing lands separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

9. The combination of a journal and a bearing therefor, said journal having a smooth surface of soft-rubber composition, and said bearing being formed of rigid material to provide a plurality of arcuate bearing lands separated by lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

10. The combination of a journal and a hearing therefor, said journal having a smooth surface of soft-rubber composition, and said bearing being formed of rigid material to provide a plurality of arcuate bearing lands separated by lubricant grooves, the margins of the lands meeting the surface of the journal at an acute angle, and the soft-rubber member and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

11. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, the journal portion of the shaft being of rigid material and comprising arcuate bearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, and the bearing being formed of softrubber composition, the rigid member and the soft-rubber member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

12. The combination of a shaft and a bearing .therefor, the journal portion of the shaft being of rigid material and comprising arcuate hearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, and the bearing comprising a removable rigid sleeve having a bearing face formed of soft-rubber composition, the rigid member and the soft-rubber member being constrained to have relative rotation inthe normal operation of the assembly. m

13. The combination of a shaft and a bearing therefor, the journal portion of the shaft being of soft-rubber composition, and the bearing being formed of rigid material and comprising arcuate bearing surfaces separated by longitudinal lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber and the rigid member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

14. The combination of a journal and a hearing therefor, said journal having a bearing surface of soft-rubber composition, and said bearing being formed of metal to provide a plurality of arcuate bearing lands separated by lubricant grooves, the soft-rubber member and the metal member being constrained to have relative rotation in the normal operation of the assembly.

LUCIAN Q. MOFFITT.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,004,506. June 11, 1935.

LUCIAN Q. MOFFITT.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 56, claim 13, after "soft-rubber" insert member; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of December, A. D. 1956.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

